One of the grant management questions we get the most emails on is, “What is the difference between a subrecipient and a vendor?” Subrecipient vs. Contractor: What’s in a Name? The distinction between the terminology causes no end of confusion because the terms subrecipient, subgrantee, and subawardee are used interchangeably by federal grant recipients and […]
Compliance Warriors
Examples of an Effective Compliance Program
In our last post, we looked at 4 tips for operating an effective grant management compliance program. In this post, let’s expand our understanding by looking at examples of an effective compliance program. 4 Elements of an Effective Grant Management Compliance Program Effective grant management compliance programs include these four core elements: Create Train Measure […]
Grant Monitoring Plan: 7 Things Your Program Officer Needs to Hear You Say
“What is your monitoring plan to avoid grant fraud?” Are you prepared for the day when your program officer asks the grant management team at your organization this question? Ah…well…you know… Ouch! (Hint: You should be prepared to tell your program officer what you are doing to reduce the risk of grant fraud.) Tips for […]
4 Grant Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making
We’ve gone to the grant management mailbag for some common problems encountered in the “real-world” by “real-life” grant managers. Today we’re looking at four common grant mistakes regarding the un-allowability of public relations costs you may experience when managing your federal grant. Grant Mistakes: A Grant Manager Writes: “Are promotional items, such as pens, water […]
The Minimalist Guide to Internal Controls
Here is the minimalist guide to internal controls: Just remember 3-5-7. Let’s face it, understanding internal controls is critical to continued grant funding. A lack of well-developed internal controls can lead to costs being disallowed and even suspension and debarment from future grants. Does it seem overwhelming? Look at our simplified approach of 3-5-7. The […]
Inspector General Finds Unallowable Grant Costs
“Repay the unallowable costs!” That is the result no grant manager wants to hear, especially with federal funding. So, I speak a lot about keeping federal grants from being unallowable grant costs in terms of strong internal controls. Let’s shift gears and look at a real-life case study from the Office of the Inspector General […]